


Food, Honor and Lesson learnt

by Shiary



Category: Toriko (Anime & Manga)
Genre: AU, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Dark! Komatsu, Drabbles, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Angst, Gore, Hurt/Comfort, Mental Breakdown, Mental Instability, Multi, Past Abuse, Timeline doesnt make sense, not all drabbles are related
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-07
Updated: 2017-03-19
Packaged: 2018-09-22 13:57:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 32
Words: 18,060
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9610454
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shiary/pseuds/Shiary
Summary: A series of toriko drabbles. Repost from my FF account.





	1. Ghetto

**Author's Note:**

> Continuation of 'Unrevealed Secrets'

After Coco was brought to the IGO run hospital and his injuries treated, Komatsu found himself facing a scowling Zebra, a furiously worried Toriko, a sad Sunny and a injured poison user who kept blaming himself and apologizing to Komatsu for putting him in such a dangerous situation. The Chef had no time to try and convince the injured man that he wasn't to blame for anything as Toriko and Sunny were trying to speak over each other while addressing Komatsu.

'I told you not to go out except for work didn't I? Why did you...' begged Toriko, trying to understand what Komatsu had been thinking. Sunny on the other hand was worrying over Komatsu's health, ' Did you get hurt? Did they do anything to you? You can tell me...' Both men's words simply mixing together and not making any sense to the exhausted man.

Both the night and the still burning fury Komatsu had in him combined with his growing annoyance at the men in front of him cause the normally peaceful chef to scream 'SHUT UP!' He saw Zebra wince out of the corner of his eye, making him regret his action a bit (Only a bit though) before he spoke to the Heavenly king quarto looking at him in stunned disbelief.

Komatsu took a deep breath and simply announced, ' That is enough out of you three. Coco need to rest and all of this noise is hardly going to help him do so.' A sharp glance toward said man stopped the protest before it passed his bruised lips. 'I made my choices and that's that. I didn't do it to hurt anyone except those bastards who deserved it.' The Chef lifted a hand in the air as a warning causing Toriko's mouth closed with a snap. 'I am exhausted and seriously pissed off. SO unless you want to pick a fight with me I suggest you shut up and go back home as I intend to do myself.' He growled warningly as Sunny opened his mouth in protest. ' I lived in this cities Ghetto since I was born, surviving by killing people who had money. I have fought and killed too many times to count. I have as many scars as Zebra, I am lucky they are barely visible nowadays.'

Komatsu turns around and leaves without another words. His body is slumped in exhaustion and tense from anger. As his mind wanders, his feet take him back to his home. His old home, the one he had while surviving among the thugs and illnesses that plagued his birthplace. It was in ruins, burns marks from That Day were still visible. Graffiti from an old past and the newer ones added on top simply made Komatsu feel even more exhausted.

'Brat.' The simple word resounded in his ears, drawing a painfully tired grin from the blood soaked man. 'Zebra-san.' the even more tired reply. He didn't turn around nor did he react when he felt Zebra sit down beside him. 'Reminds me of where I grew up before that cocky old man picked me off the streets.' Zebra brought out a bottle of vodka, the cheap buy in a store kind, which surprised Komatsu. He had never seen the man eat or drink anything that wasn't high grade stuff; it surprised him even more when Zebra took a swing of it before extending it toward Komatsu.

A small hand grabbed the bottle neck before it was brought to an eager mouth who gulped it down quickly. Zebra stayed quiet through it all simply accepting the bottle again and took another sip. The pattern repeated itself several times before Komatsu spoke again. 'I wont apologies. Toriko and Sunny need to stop babying me. I may not be as strong as you are but I can and will take care of myself when it comes to this kind of thing.' Zebra laughed at the word, ' You're plenty strong kid. Toriko just doesn't see that its a different kind of strength; one that doesn't revolve around food or cooking. He'll get over his own cocky opinion and get it straight soon.'

Komatsu nodded absent minded, ' I didn't think I'd ever have to use this again.' He pulls out the rusted knife from its hiding spot, slowly turning it in his hands. 'It was a present from my sister. She got killed because I was too good at following orders. I used this to kill my targets and they assumed she was the one killing them. No one ever thinks I can be a threat...' His words fall silent as tears roll down his cheeks. Komatsu takes the vodka bottle from Zebra and finishes it in one go before throwing the now empty bottle against the ruined walls of his past.

Zebra simply watches and wait until Komatsu calms down, the scarred king knew all too well the lessons taught on the street and its effects on a person's life after they leaves that world behind. So he waits, waits until Komatsu stumbles, the alcohol finally kicking in. Waits until Komatsu looks at him with that smile of his and his anger fades allowing the self pity and the fear to disappear as well. When Komatsu wraps his arms around the bigger man's neck and mutters a soft 'thank you' before passing out, Zebra simply grumbles about the chef being cocky and gets him back to his house, his real one this time.


	2. Lackey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One word inspiration is Lackey.

After all of the fuss about the Century Soup and his adventures as Toriko's Combo Partner, Komatsu had gotten used to being recognized on the street or hearing his name while walking on the streets. Which is why he was quite surprised at the man now grabbing his sleeve and demanding his attention.

The man was a bit short from 6 foot and was trying to appear menacing which seemed to have worked just fine on the staff but had very little effect on Komatsu. ' You damn lackey! I ordered the Century Soup not this empty bowl!' He motioned to the bowl of soup in front of him. Due to the humidity and the fact that there was little light falling on the bowl, the usual rainbow wasn't visible.

Komatsu simply replied, 'That bowl is filled with the Century Soup you've ordered sir. If you were to try and take a sip you'll find that I'm right.' The man slammed his fist on the table, his hand letting go of the chef's arm to grab his collar. He then stand dragging Komatsu to his toes and proceeds to yell at him.

Shocked at such behavior, the chef reacts after a few seconds. The 6 foot tall man finds himself on his back and looking up at a sighing Komatsu who is gently pulling his attackers hand off his collar and walks away as the shop's security run over. He enters the kitchen and ignores the stares his staff are giving him until one of his older chef taps his shoulder and asks ' Where did you learn that?'

Komatsu grins back, 'An old friend taught me when I was a child. I'll tell the manager to ban that customer from coming back.'


	3. Android

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Next word picked: Android

Komatsu had heard rumors of the new cooking androids, who were said to be able to cook even the hardest special cooking ingredient, and had no intention of knowing more about them either. As a chef, Komatsu viewed food preparation as being similar to an extension of himself thus making every meal unique regardless of what was ordered.

When Toriko came in a few weeks after to eat, Komatsu couldn't help feeling slightly mad at Toriko's ranting about the quality of the food the android cooked. Hiding his feelings about the android, he simply put more effort then usual into preparing his Partner's food.

As weeks became months, Komatsu heard various stories about the mechanical android from several customers including Toriko, Sunny and Rin. Every story bothered him for some reason and he started keeping to himself a lot more then normal even going to the point of declining an invitation from Toriko to go and eat something the android cooked.

5 months after the androids became available for restaurants to buy, the company making them recalled all of them without warning. The mechanics would arrive as the restaurants owning androids opened and they would uninstall the android and leave within minutes.

The news channels went after the story like a pack of starving dogs on a bone and soon the mysterious recall was the only thing available on every station. Komatsu wondered why such a recall was made but also felt happy at their disappearance and the return of a more normal cooking method.

It took over a week before anything concrete was found and the reason for the recall's revealed by IGO. The androids were flawed. The programming that allowed them to cook anything made it impossible for the machine to distinguish between 'food' and 'not food' and had lead to several gruesome incident involving the machines.

At least that had been the official version given by IGO. Toriko and Sunny arrived at Komatsu's restaurant right before it closed and with the permission of his manager, Komatsu had cooked for both well after the restaurant had been emptied. At the end of the meal, which had been eating half-heartily by both heavingly kings and lead to a very worried Komatsu, the real reason for the recall became known to the chef.

The company making the androids had used Livebearer's memory absorption technique to allow for the androids cooking ability. The android themselves had been created using human bodies and mechanical parts. The chef in Komatsu grinned wildly, content in the knowledge that humans were the only ones able to cook food properly.


	4. Shakespearean

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This one is a request from tsukidoragonookami so its a Sunny x Komatsu. Word is Shakespearean

It had started with a simple rose left on his door step, no letter or words attached. Komatsu had taken the rose amused and puzzled into his home and placed in a a simple vase. The next week it was a dozen roses sent to the restaurant with a note which read:

_Hear my soul speak: ___

___The very instant that I saw you, did ____ _

_____My heart fly to your service. ____ _ _ _

______The arrival of the roses had sparked a rather invigorating discussion on the possibility of a secret admirer and who it might be. It ended with Komatsu stating he had no interest in such things and that the cooks had better things to do then to chat like old housewives. It didn't prevent whispers of the increasing number of gifts that followed almost daily after that._ _ _ _ _ _

______Privately however, Komatsu found himself staring and hoping wishing that the one who send those gifts was a certain king. As he touched the delicate petals of the latest addition to his collection of flowers, half a dozen Hibiscus with another note, the chef decided his next move._ _ _ _ _ _

______A last look at the note he had been sent just this morning settled his mind:_ _ _ _ _ _

_______Have I caught thee, my heavenly jewel? Why, now let ____ _ _ _ _ _

_________me die, for I have lived long enough. ____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Sunny was surprised to say the least when he returned home only to find a letter attached to a yellow chrysanthemum. Taking the flower in one hand, he opened the letter with the other:_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

___________I love thee so, that, maugre all thy pride, ____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_____________Nor wit nor reason can my passion hide. ____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_______________Do not extort thy reasons from this clause, ____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________________For that I woo, thou therefore hast no cause ____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

___________________But rather reason thus with reason fetter, ____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_____________________Love sought is good, but given unsought better. ____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________Startled, the heavenly king stood still for a long time, simply rereading the letter and staring at the flower. The gifts continued coming to both Sunny and Komatsu almost daily; sometime it was a simple thing , other time it was a luxurious item that could only be found at certain times. The last was the reason why both Komatsu and Sunny called each other at almost the same time in regards of an ingredient both were looking for._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________Sunny expressed his surprised when Komatsu explained he didn't want Toriko knowing about his idea. Komatsu was surprised that Sunny would ask him for help over such an ingredient when he could simply capture it and bring it to a better cook then himself. Both agreed to leave the same day and to keep their temporary partnership a secret from the rest of the heavenly kings. Komatsu knew how possessive some could be._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________It took both of them a week to find the ingredient, an apple that was said to give luck in love to those who ate it. During the week, Sunny caught Komatsu sneaking glances at him with a pensive look while Komatsu caught Sunny staring at him with an unusually soft expression on his face. Capturing the apple wasn't very hard but it did require a delicate amount of touch and pressure to keep it fresh and tasty while Komatsu cut it in half following the complicated process of peeling it in just the right way._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________Less then a week later Komatsu received a small red box covered in gold leaf design. Sunny received a plain white box with a red silk ribbon attached keeping it closed. Within both boxes were half of an apple and a single note._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_______________________My bounty is as boundless as the sea, ____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________________________My love as deep; the more I give to thee, ____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

___________________________The more I have, for both are infinite. ____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Meaning of the flowers:  
> Hibiscus :Delicate beauty  
> Yellow Chrysanthemum: Secret admirer
> 
> All the notes are quotes from Shakespearean plays about love.


	5. Change

After 5 years of being Toriko's partner, Komatsu had seen and done a lot of things. Some were wonderful. Some were not. Others were simply hilarious. But if asked, Komatsu would simply say that the most interesting thing he did was cook new ingredient for his ever hungry partner even if sometimes there were some... unfortunate side effects.

This time was no different in the end. Teppei had revived a very old ingredient and Komatsu had volunteered to try out different cooking methods to see what suited the new ingredient, the leaves of a Ethioe tree, most of all. It meant that Komatsu would stay at the restaurant (now a 10 star) after closing and spend most of the night cooking and tasting the leaves before serving his findings in the morning to whoever showed up to eat.

The groups often changed depending on who was available but the heavenly kings almost always showed up (Even Zebra), the rest of the group came and went. Sometimes Melk 2 showed up, other times Setsuno came and brought other world renown cooks. It often ended in laughter and another fond memory to add to Komatsu's growing collection.

As morning found him finishing the last of the leaves, Komatsu grinned and started preparing to present his newest soup to his friends. Stifling a yawn, he decided that he had enough time to sleep before Toriko arrived and started complaining about the lack of food.

The sleeping cook was woken up by the arrival of the 4 heavenly kings and were soon followed by the other guests which this time included Melk II, Teppei, Setsuno and her apprentice, Old man Jiro, Match and surprisingly Takimaru. Chuckling at the sudden noise and the gentle fighting that always came with such meetings, Komatsu shouted a greeting and pushed the door open to greet everyone properly.

The sudden silence and stares directed at him gave the first clue that something was wrong. Long hair caught the edge of his eyes, Komatsu turned towards the mirror to his left and stared. The person that was reflected looked a lot like Komatsu except for one very important detail. The reflection was female.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is me reposting from FF but if anyone has any suggestions, prompts or other ideas they want to throw my way I'll gladly accept them!


	6. Hug

It started with a simple startled exclamation by one of the restaurants newest apprentice, who asked Komatsu, 'How can you let them hug like that? Aren't you afraid they'll hurt you?'

The people in question were the heavenly kings who had just finished a meal and were leaving their favorite restaurant after saying farewell to Komatsu. Komatsu's back was turned away from the Kings who had stopped in shock and horror at the doorway. The restaurant had fallen silent as everyone waited for Komatsu's answer.

Komatsu looked at the apprentice with puzzled eyes. 'What are you talking about? They could never hurt me.' His statement was said with simple but firm conviction even if his voice was filled with puzzlement. He was so used to people towering over him due to his small stature and easy going personality but this was the first time anyone had brought that particular point up.

Komatsu noticed the silence and turned to see the cause. He blinked a few time and then frowned upon noticing that his friends were still there. 'Is there something wrong?' Zebra growled and left in a hurry followed with Sunny who made a rather unusual exit. Coco and Toriko stood at the door way a bit longer before leaving. Coco with a sad smile towards Komatsu and Toriko with somewhat fearful one.

It wasn't until Komatsu returned home that he realized why the 4 Bishokuya's had left in such a manner and that brought him to start thinking more about the hugs he tended to give and received from the Heavenly Kings.

Zebra's hug were straight forward and simple. Komatsu often compared it to the hug one might received from a tamed wild beast. Full of strength and barely repressed but kind and gentle once the initial pressure faded. Zebra had the tendency to hug Komatsu at random times and Komatsu gladly returned the favors when he could. Komatsu accepted all of it without a thought or fear; something he knew was rare when it came to Zebra's interactions with other humans.

Sunny's hug were more the most complex of the bunch. The strength and length of his hugs changed every time and each seemed to have his own significance to Komatsu. A subtle pressure covering all of his body said 'I'm glad you are doing well.' while a 2 arms and no feelers (at least none that he could feel) often meant that Sunny was feeling a bit lonely and depressed. At which point, Komatsu practically dragged the man into his kitchen or to a spa to cheer him up without any questions or expectations.

Coco's hug were the loneliest and the most reluctant. It was only recently that Coco had started initiating the hugs himself while in the past he had only ever touched Komatsu if the chef started to move first. Komatsu had noticed fairly quickly how Coco's hug tended to be fearful and overly careful while lingering as much as possible as though seeking the touch without daring to say anything. As soon as Komatsu had noticed and named the feeling he perceived from the poisonous man, he was encouraged to touch Coco as often as he could in as many way as he could. His every action was meant to comfort and remind Coco that he was no longer alone and always welcomed.

Toriko's hug were by far the most careless of them all. His hugs were freely given without restraint and while Komatsu had ended up with bruises, he had never wished for Toriko to change the way he acted. Every hug from Toriko had the same message, one of happiness and simple joy at being alive. Komatsu found them to be rather refreshing and they often helped him relax when he was stressed. Toriko never refused a hug and Komatsu never asked for one. He didn't need to.

As Komatsu slipped into bed, he reminded himself that some people just wouldn't understand how a small man like himself could feel so at ease with giants like the Heavenly Kings and his last thought before sleep too him was simple.

_I'm glad. That way no one else can have their hugs... even if its selfish of me to think like that._


	7. Sibling

Komatsu smiled as Sunny and Rin squabbled as always. The 3 of them were waiting for Toriko to arrive before they entered a new restaurant that had been highly recommended by Coco. Rin had started the fight by asking her older brother whether she looked nice or not. Sunny had replied with a comment about how many sweets she ate to which Rin had replied in kind. It was an argument that the cook had heard many times before.

Komatsu sighed, his eye turning away from the siblings and towards the busy street, hoping to catch a glimpse of Toriko. Instead, Komatsu saw someone he had never thought to see again. His sudden silence caused Rin and Sunny to stare at him with worry.

''Is everything alright Matsu?'' Sunny walked up to the chef and tried to see what had caused the man to freeze up but didnt see anything out of the ordinary. Komatsu was still staring in shock at the busy street. Sunny frowned and looked back at his sister, hoping that she might know what had happened. Rin shook her head as she moved to stand beside her brother.

''Komatsu?'' The voice belonged to Toriko who had just walked up behind the group, his hands filled with food. Komatsu jumped in surprise at the arrival of his friend and he turned quickly to greet his partner. 'Hello Toriko!' he called out, leaving Sunny and Rin to stare at the young chef.

Toriko noted the way Sunny and Rin was acting but looked at how pale his cooking partner was with a frown. Putting his food down, Toriko knelled in front of Komatsu. ''Is everything ok Komatsu?'' His voice was soft and filled with concern.

Komatsu blinked in surprised a few time before smiling, his smile was somewhat sad and didnt seem to belong to the young chef. ''I'm fine. I just saw someone I hadnt seen in years. They're probably gone by now.''

Toriko nodded and grinned, ''You'll feel better with some food in you.'' Sunny sighed, ''Thats your answer to everything you glutton! Matsu isnt as unbeautiful as you!'' To which Rin replied, ''Nii-san dont say that! Toriko is great!'' Toriko's laughter only served to push Sunny into a mock rage as the 3 started squabbling like siblings and leaving Komatsu to look in amusement once more.

_At least they can talk to each other without trying to kill each other._ Komatsu sighed, his smile disappearing as he looked over his shoulder at where he had seen them. _Maybe next time, I'll be able to save you, my dear sister._


	8. First

Komatsu knew something was wrong when Coco called him using Toriko's phone. ''Coco-san? Why are you calling from Toriko's phone?'' the chef asked surprised and worried. ''Toriko is sick. Can you come to his place right now?'' The fortune tellers words were clipped short and unusually breathless, which only added to Komatsu's worry. He replied that he would leave to Toriko's house immediately and then set out with his prepacked bag.

It was a habit formed from years of having Toriko simply appear and get him to go on another hunt for an ingredient. His bag was filled with cooking utensils, food and basic spices to use on whatever Toriko caught. Now as he sat on a bus going towards Toriko's house, Komatsu shuffled through the bag, checking and double checking everything he had against what he thought he might need to help Toriko.

The chef was anxious and worried about his partner, he couldnt remember having ever seen Toriko sick with anything. Komatsu didnt bother knocking on the door once he arrived, opening it and dropping his bag at the doorstep was all that he could do before going looking for the 2 heavenly kings.

He found Coco kneeling silently beside a pale and sickly looking Toriko. The chef gasped softly as he approached his sick partner and looked questionably at Coco. The poison user shook his head softly and whispered, ''He's been poisoned somehow. I'm trying to make an antidote but its going to take some time. I couldn't leave him alone.'' Komatsu nodded wordlessly before hugging the man and replying with a soft thank you.

Coco smiled softly and left, his mind calmed down by the knowledge that Komatsu would keep an eye on Toriko's condition while he work on an antidote. Komatsu on the other hand moved closer to the bed and observed the man lying all to still in between the sheets. Toriko was pale and sweat could be seen rolling down his face and neck. A low moan of pain filled the still air before disappearing into silence.

Toriko shifted slightly and his eyes cracked open a bit, the huge man could barely make out the blurred form of the person sitting by his bed but he somehow knew who it was. ''Komatsu. Are you alright?'' Komatsu reached out, his trembling hand warm on the too cold skin of the sick king. ''I'm fine, dont worry about me and concentrate on getting better ok? Coco is making an antidote and you'll be back on your feet before you know it. I'll make you whatever you want to eat so hurry up and get better soon...''

Komatsu sat down on the edge of the bed, watching carefully as Toriko fell back asleep as he talked, the moment he stopped though, his partner moaned softly and shifted as if in pain and Komatsu started talking again. At first, he talked about the restaurant and the new food he was creating and trying out. Then it was the food that Komatsu would cook for Toriko once the man was back on his feet and finally he talked about his own past.

Komatsu told Toriko about what had happened when he had been living in the slums of the city, making a living out of killing people in order to protect and help his older sister get food and be safe. His sister that he had seen a few weeks ago, walking mindlessly after 2 members of the gourmet mafia.

The chef told Toriko's sleeping form about how he had ended up killing the old boss of the strongest mafia boss while the man had been in town but had doing too good of a job in hiding his tracks. The resulting hunt for the killer had lead to his sister's abduction and then her being blamed for the death because of the knife she had been repairing for Komatsu.

He told his partner about the punishment that had been chosen for his older sister, to be made into a mindless slave for the new boss until she died. How the loss of his sister had turned him into a mindless killing machine until the day he woke up with a blade on the neck of his own sister, sent to kill him.

Komatsu stopped, trying to find the words to describe what had happened then, how he had run and hadn't stopped running until he reached a cooking school that was open to everyone. How he had turned his talent to kill into a talent with food. How he had chosen the name Komatsu, the name of the man whose death had started the whole mess, as a reminder of what he had lost.

As he tried to think on how to explain what had happened to his sick partner, the assassin turned chef heard footsteps approaching. Coco appeared with a satisfied smile on his face and a small bottle in his hand. ''I've got it. Toriko will be back on his feet by morning. You've done enough. Go get some sleep, I'll watch over him now.'' Coco offered as he dripped the liquid into Toriko's mouth and watched carefully as the man swallowed it.

Komatsu shook his head, '' I'll wait with you just to be sure then you should go and get some rest Coco-san. You've done a lot more then I have.'' Coco smiled softly, unwilling to let the smaller man know that he had overheard everything Komatsu had said and unwilling to say anything to him about it either.

Both settled side by side as they waited and watched for the effects of the antidote on their friend.


	9. Examiner

It was the worst day in Komatsu's memory. It had started normally enough with him getting up and being ready to start a new day at the restaurant not to mention finishing his new Crème Brûler recipe with the ingredients Sunny had sent him. It had only started going horribly wrong when the eager chef had arrived at his restaurant only to find it closed.

Stunned by the notice stating that the restaurant would be closed until further notice, Komatsu ran to find the manager in order to get an explanation for the closure. He found the man trying to talk with a tall stranger wearing a very expansive suit and who's body language told Komatsu that he thought the manager to be nothing more then an annoyance.

''Manager! What's going on?'' Komatsu asked with a frown, ''There is a notice stating that the restaurant is closed until further notice. What's going on?'' His questions made the stranger huff and turn away, shrugging off the manager's startled cry at his departure and leaving both restaurant workers alone.

The manager sat down on the floor in exhaustion and despair not looking at Komatsu as he answered, ''That was an IGO examiner, he said that the restaurant didn't comply with the new regulations concerning food quality and ordered us closed until we clean and repair everything!''

Komatsu gasped, ''That's impossible! The kitchen is perfectly equipped! The food is checked by myself or one of the assistant chefs and anything not in perfect condition is put aside for personnel use or for trying out new recipes!'' his voice was filled with raw disbelief and anger that someone could declare the restaurant to be unfit.

The manager smiled sadly at his main chef and waved him off. ''I'll call everyone and tell them that there is no need for them to come in today. I'm afraid you wont be able to go in either Komatsu-kun, the examiner confiscated the keys and locked everything.''

Komatsu watched as his manger walked wearily away towards the offsite office for their restaurant. While he couldn't understand how such a thing could happen or why, Komatsu also couldn't simply walk away and waste the food he had started last evening. His mind made up, the small man moved towards the emergency stairs and climbed the outside portion.

As he started to pick the lock leading inside, Komatsu wondered why an IGO examiner would declare his restaurant to be unfit and not complying with regulations. By the time, he had opened the door, re-locked it and walked to his kitchen, Komatsu had reached an awkward conclusion. The examiner wasn't a real one.

His Crème Brûler was intact and waiting for his last minute touches before being finished which Komatsu easily did. As the dessert was completed and packed in a bag to be sent to Sunny and Rin, Komatsu decided to include a note concerning the supposed IGO examiner to the siblings, hoping that perhaps they could look into it for him and help reopen the restaurant before long.

He had left the restaurant, feeling very uneasy, and returned home after sending the packaged dessert to its destination. The day was by far one of the very worst that Komatsu could remember. By mid-day, the chef was bored but couldn't decide what to cook and honestly didn't feel like cooking at all.

By mid-afternoon, Komatsu had reread all of his cook books, rewritten recipes and made a mess of his home. His frantic pacing were interrupted by a knock on the door. The chef opened the door only to be greeted by a thrusting hand holding a bunch of Snapdragon and a voice that talked quickly.

''My apologies Chef Komatsu for barging in like this. I'm Manager Histo of the 5 stars Nofir eatery. I heard that your restaurant was closing and came to offer you a position as Head Cook for my restaurant!'' The man barged inside a few steps, disregarding the usual niceties of polite society as he talked and dropped the flowers into Komatsu's arms. He turned around with a grin and continued, ''Of course I dont expect an immediate answer but please consider this opportunity and choose quickly, our eatery is a fine establishment and many cook aspire to work there. I'll be back in 3 days for your answer. Good day.'' the one sided discussion ended and the man once more brushed aside Komatsu and left without looking back, leaving a stunned Komatsu in his wake.

''Definitively the worst day ever.'' Komatsu sighed and leaned his head on the wall in exasperation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The flowers Snapdragon means Presumptuous.


	10. Fall

Takimaru was angry, his horse and partner had a broken leg and it was his fault. The gourmet knight had not been paying attention to the ground while traveling across the country side and it had cost his dear mount the ability to move. As the sun weaved its way downwards past the mountain and the moon made its climb to illuminate the falling night, Takimaru found himself alone in unfamiliar territory.

While this was not the first time the knight found himself in such a situation, he found himself growing increasingly uneasy for some reason. His horse was lying on its side, resting as much as it could and Takimaru knew that even injured his partner would warn him if its senses perceived a danger.

The night was unrest-full for the gourmet knight between his unexplained unrest and tending to his injured horse. Predawn light was a welcome sight for the exhausted knight, as Takimaru sighed and felt himself relax, a shout from behind him and the sight of a few dozen men rising suddenly with weapons pointed towards him.

''Dont move!'' The order was shouted from behind him. Takimaru forced himself to stand still, while the weapons were of no danger to him it would be impossible for his injured mount to move out of the way of any stray bullets and that was something he wouldn't allow to happen.

Preparing himself mentally for whatever would happen next, he found himself surprised by a startled outcry, ''Takimaru?'' Match's voice came as a relief to the tired knight who turned towards the mafioso. Match smiled warmly as he saw the expression crossing the gourmet knight's beautiful face and motioned for his men to leave them.

''Match-san! What are you doing here?'' Takimaru asked as he got up. Match smirked, ''That should be my question kid, but if you must know I'm hunting down a group of kidnappers who assaulted the wife of one of my men. What about you?'' the mafia leader moved closer and looked toward the horse lying down behind Takimaru.

Takimaru smiled humorlessly at his friend, ''I was heading back to Eco village but I got careless and now Kioshi is paying the price for it. His front leg is injured and I wont leave him alone.'' The knight indicated his mount sadly with a gesture, his eyes turning downwards in shame making his companion blush slightly at the cute expression.

Match placed a hand on Takimaru's shoulder, ''Dont worry kid. I can get my men to bring him safely to Eco village for you. As for us, I'm going to Komatsu's in a while, why dont you join me? He's making a new recipe.'' His reply left a relieved knight in his wake as the Mafioso gave orders quickly and efficiently.

In less then an hour, Takimaru saw a car pull up with a horse carriage and a man who presented himself as a vet to the knight, take his mount and leave with orders to ensure the safe delivery of Kioshi before he himself boarded a second car, driven by Match himself and heading towards Komatsu's restaurant.


	11. Failure

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm posting 2 chapters today, both are dark so be warned.

Komatsu couldnt believe it. Sitting in front of him was a black, burnt and completely overcooked piece of meat that didnt even look eatable anymore. The veggies he had started an hour ago were completely overcooked and the delicious apple-cranberry sauce he had made was not nearly as delicious as it was supposed to be.

The chef collapsed, unable to understand why he suddenly found himself unable to do anything right. Everything he cooked ended up ruined and disgusting. He had tried following every recipe to the letter but it seemed as though he could no longer cook at all.

Komatsu found himself in a new situation, cooking had always been easy to him and while it had taken a lot of work to create and improve new recipes; he had never had any trouble following them and getting a good result. A feeling of powerlessness and despair mixed with complete confusion grew inside his chest, making him frantic and uneasy.

The chef couldnt stay at his house any longer, grabbing his bag he left the house and headed into the countryside, hoping that moving around would help clear his head. As he walked down the dirt roads, he went over every detail trying to find a reason for his failures and finding none.

Night fell slowly but Komatsu continued walking, lost in his misery only to be woken up but a growl. While he hadnt paid attention, the small chef had wandered into the territory of a rather large wolf who was now staring at him.

Komatsu stopped, fearful, his hand scrambling to his belt only to find his usual Melk Knife to be missing. _I left it on the kitchen table._ The thought passed by quickly before being replaced by acceptance of his fate. Toriko wasnt there to save him and Komatsu had no way to protect himself from the animal and even if he had, the chef wasnt sure if he would have done anything to save himself. After all what good was he if he could no longer cook!

Those were his last thoughts as the wolf lunged at him and pain flared across his body before everything faded to black.


	12. Nightmare

Coco was scared and that in turn, scared Toriko especially after the entrance the poison user and fellow heavenly king had just done. Coco's face was pale and his voice shook as he practically shouted to Toriko, ''Komatsu's gone missing! I can't find him anywhere and I can't sense him!''

Toriko stared at Coco for a second, his mind frantically trying to register and understand what he had just been told. The moment it did, Toriko was off, leaving behind everything as he ran towards Komatsu's home. The door was open, the house empty but most frightening for the chef's partner was the ruined food left on the counters and table.

Coco was right behind Toriko and waited until his friend had finished inspecting the situation before saying anything. ''When was the last time you spoke to him? Did he seem ''scared or odd somehow?'' Toriko shook his head, ''I havent talked to him since I came back from my trip 2 weeks ago... We HAVE to find him!'' Toriko grabbed Coco by the shoulders, his face a mask of desperation and raw fear, something the other had never seen before.

Coco nodded, ''I'll call Sunny, you go get Zebra. We'll have a better chance of tracking whoever did this together.'' Toriko let Coco go, his head bowed and with shaking hands. Coco hesitated a bit, unsure of the wisdom concerning leaving a worried Toriko alone but they could not manage by themselves and if Komatsu was injured... Coco forced himself to stop thinking and left. Toriko would simply have to deal with it; they needed to find Komatsu before it was too late.

It didnt take much to convince Zebra and Sunny to join in the search, and soon the whole world was looking as well. Bishokuyas, cooks, chefs, gourmet mafia, gourmet knights and seiseiya all joined in the growing search for everyone favorite cook but as days became weeks and then months, more and more people lost hope in ever finding the small chef.

Toriko wouldnt stop searching, not even to rest and barely ate anything. He grew more frantic and distanced himself from everyone as he tried to find his partner, his friend and his source of joy. Everyday for the heavenly king was like waking up from a nightmare only to find yourself in a even worst reality.

When word finally reached him that they might have found the chef, Toriko couldnt believe it and dropped everything to go check for himself. Teppei had been the one to find the young man and was the one to greet Toriko on his arrival to the small and mostly forgotten village. At the center of the village, in front of a cooking fire and facing away from Toriko was a small child.

As the wind brought Toriko the scent of his the child, relief spreed through his body almost causing him to collapse right then and there. Komatsu was here, he was safe! The wind that had brought the scent also caused a thin paper to float out of the man's grasp, forcing him to turn and grab at it and revealing his face. Toriko collapsed to his knees, disbelief clearly writing across his face. Teppei swore and knelt down by the shocked King.

''Should have told you when you got here. Komatsu's lost his memories and well...'' His voice trailed one, not quite finding the words to explains what had become of the once childish chef.

Komatsu's face was scarred and barely recognizable. His right eye was nothing more then an empty socket and he was missing more then half of his nose. His hands were ruined, all twisted and missing several fingers. Toriko screamed...

And woke up in a burst of fright and panic. His hand searching for something that should be right here, where is it? His hand touched something warm and small, curled up on his side. Toriko forced himself to take deep breaths as he lifted himself off the cold ground and look at the sleeping and fine, unhurt, mine, peacefully sleeping Komatsu. It had all been a nightmare.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the comments and kudos so far :) I


	13. Wild

There were a lot of wild things in the Gourmet world and Komatsu had seen his fair share of them while traveling with Toriko. And yet, the chef thought that the sight in front of him took the cake easily. After all, it wasnt everyday that one could see the Heavenly Kings acting so... different.

The group of adventurers had approached a new part of the Gourmet world in hope of obtaining some new ingredient but the result had been rather unexpected. As the Bishokuya's had passed through the thick vine-wall separating them from the new world of ingredient; they had started acting strange.

Sunny had started being grumpy and growling at the others; Coco had smiled like there was no tomorrow and started running off in front of the group while Toriko had started complaining about how the weather was messing up his hair. The most startling change was without a doubt Zebra's, the giant of a man had slouched slightly and slowed his pace considerably, his whole demeanor changing from growling bear to shy snake, looking for any danger.

The mixture of changes had brought Komatsu to a halt and caused Coco to shout at Komatsu in semi-worry. Shout until he realized that something was wrong since Komatsu fainted right away. Zebra caught the passed out chef before he hit to ground and it was only at that point that the Heavenly King realized why Komatsu had fainted.

They had all changed bodies!


	14. Verbal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As requested by Jade.

Komatsu and Toriko were a pair, bishokuya and chef, friends and in some moments more then that; and yet Komatsu has his secrets, secrets that he didn't want to share or simply couldn't with the cheerful giant. The chef had been an assassin to survive in the slum, he had stained his hands more times then he cared to think and the part of him that craved blood would rear its head at times and force the chef to fight to keep control on his urges.

It was one of the biggest things that changed whenever Komatsu spent time alone with Zebra. The small man, a mere child beside the behemoth that was the walking human disaster known as Zebra, never felt forced to hide or push away his thoughts when they turned dark and blood filled if Zebra was around. He didnt know why and part of him was scared to figure out the reason for his reaction but regardless of the reason, Komatsu had a new habit since the incident with Coco's Kidnapping and the aftermath of his action there.

Whenever he found himself beginning to fall into a circle of intrusive thoughts and bad habits, the chef would find himself contacting Zebra and asking to go on a hunt with him. Sometimes, one of the other Heavenly King would join in on the hunt but most of the time, it was only the cook and his scarred companion. This was one of them, Komatsu had been waking up every night for the last week from nightmares and seeing blood covered hands at seemingly random moments for at least 2.

Zebra had answered to his request as he always did, ''Sure Kid, just dont get too cocky.'' and then showing up the next morning or within a few days. The hunt this time around was for the Glaring Cock, a bird whose gaze could petrify all under its gaze. Its meat was said to be so tough unless caught in a very specific way and needed to be cooked within moments of its death. ''A Cocky Cock, Perfect for our hunt.'' declared Zebra as they wandered to the Mabayui River.

The pair worked flawlessly as they tracked down the Cock and its den, Zebra's echolocation bringing them straight to the edge of a waterfall where their prey were resting. Komatsu was already feeling better, his body less tense and more relaxed then the last 2 weeks. Unfortunately, the chef had not quite considered how exhausted he was and when he misjudged how slippery the rocks surrounding the river was, he found himself falling into the raging waters and being swiftly dragged under. As soon as he realized that Komatsu was falling into the water, Zebra used his voice to help Komatsu surface or tried too.

At the sound of Zebra's voice, The Glaring Cock emerged from his den and fixed its petrifying gaze unto the ginormous man who had invaded his territory and was now causing a racket. Taken of guard and in a position where he couldnt protect himself effectively, Zebra found himself unable to move nor draw the deep breaths he needed to use any of his abilities. Helpless, the human disaster could do nothing but watch as his friend disappeared under the water and didnt resurface.

Under the water, Komatsu had no idea of the situation Zebra was in, he only knew panic and fear as the water dragged him farther away from the waterfall while making him bounce unto the rocky river bed. After several frightening seconds of dizzying movement, the chef was finally able to grab unto a jutting rock and pull himself from the water. Soaked and with dozens of small scratches and bruises, the chef panted as he tried to refill his lungs with air and eject the water that seemed to have made its way in.

Unable to stay awake as exhaustion caught up to him once more, Komatsu collapsed where he was, _I hope Zebra-san isnt going to take too long to find me..._

Several hours passed before Komatsu woke up disoriented, shivering and his body sore. The sun was disappearing and the last rays of sunlight were fading fast. '' What?'' KOmatsu muttered as he struggled to recall how he ended up in such a situation but also why Zebra hadnt arrived yet. _Surely I havent been washed away that far? So why isnt Zebra-san here yet?_ It had been several hours at least, and with the steadily falling temperature, Komatsu couldnt afford to sit around and do nothing.

It took him a while to be able to get on his feet and his first attempt to take a step lead to him falling back on the rock bed as the world spun around. '' Great, a concussion.'' Komatsu spat out in distaste. He always hated those. Still, thinking about Zebra Komatsu forced himself back to his feet, took a stock of what he had and his injuries. His bag had been dragged with him and had been brought up with him which meant he had his knife and thus could at least protect himself until he found the missing Bishokuya. His injuries seemed minor with the worst thing being his concussion and perhaps a fractured rib.

With a huff of worry, Komatsu started walking a few meters away from the river to keep from falling back in. It seemed like his trip early during the day had not been long, as he heard the roaring waterfall within half an hour of starting. The chef felt along the lining of his bag, taking out the knife Melk 2 had made for him several years ago. Feeling the familiar weight of his knife allowed Komatsu to relax a bit more. The edge was gleaming softly in the night and Komatsu slowed down his approach. He was very careful while approaching the waterfall. The rocks were slippery as he had found out early and close to the Glaring Cock den.

Komatsu had no idea what he would find there, he hoped that Zebra was ok and had simply lost his voice and thus been unable to find the chef but his instinct told him that was unlikely. The silent cook found his instinct to be right as they often were; the sight waiting for him at the edge of the water was that of four Glaring Cocks surrounding an unmoving Zebra. The scarred Bishokuya was abnormally stiff, letting Komatsu know that he had been petrified by their prey and explaining his inability to meet up with Komatsu.

Glaring Cocks werent that high level monsters in terms of physical abilities, only a level 40 in that regard. What made them so dangerous was their glare and its petrifying properties. It made little difference for Komatsu, as the chef simply lifted his knife and allowed the barest flick of his wrist to send a powerful slash into the waterfall. The slash sent water raining down on the group of birds, obscuring their view of the petrified Bishokuya and allowing him to move again.

The fight once Zebra was able to take a deep breath lasted barely 1 second as the enraged man slaughtered the birds without a second thought. Komatsu waited for a few moments afterwards to ensure that no other beast was around before making his way down to check on his friend. '' Zebra-san! Are you alright?'' He shouted as he approached. Zebra turned on the chef with a glare that quickly turned into a sigh of apparent relief then a growl as Zebra spotted the dried blood on his chef'S head. '' Dont get cocky brat! The hell where you thinking? You could have died!'' The chef was picked up delicately and deposited within the safe confines of the bigger man's arms.

'' We're heading back now and dont you dare fall asleep.'' Zebra ordered. Komatsu grinned up and shifted to make himself more comfortable within the warm arms surrounding him. '' I'm alright Zebra-san, just a few bruises! Nothing to worry about really.'' The chef looked back at the fading waterfall, '' It such a pity, we should stay and at least use the feathers for soup since the meat wont be eatable.'' Zebra looked down at the small man in shock and partial amusement, '' Food doesnt matter right now, you do you damn kid.''


	15. Bloom

When teachers and cooks spoke of Komatsu's skills, it was often compared to flowers. When Komatsu had first meet Toriko, his skills were freshly planted seeds which bloomed into the most amazing flowers as his partnership grew with his experience.

When the chef himself was asked about the comparison; Komatsu grinned and agreed to the comparison though in private he often thought that Toriko had not been enough to make his talents bloom so fully.

If Toriko was the sun that gave Komatsu his energy and liveliness then everyone was important just as much. Coco would be the soft rain; every drop was unique but necessary none the less. Sunny was like the wind to Komatsu; he came and went quickly but always left a distinct impression in his path.

Zebra was a bit harder to explains and it took a few days before Komatsu could come up with a perfect metaphor. The ever loud and nosy Zebra was the earth that supported Komatsu and protected his roots from harm. As for Melk 2, Match-san, Teppei, Takimaru and everyone that Komatsu had crossed paths with where insects that brought new seeds and pollen with them. Fleeting but important, each of them had given Komatsu something to add to his skills in a way unique to each.

Those thought were keep silent by the chef until a few years later when Komatsu organised a Christmas meal and invited everyone to it. The main meal of the 9 course dinner was shaped as endless amounts of flowers completed with the sun, rain, wind and earth. Of course, the meaning behind the food was never quite understood by those who simply ate it all in ravenous hunger.


	16. Business

It took precision and patience to prepare Her for such missions. First, one had to erase all previous instructions including all previous knowledge of self from her mind. Once that had been completed, a new set of instructions had to be carefully laid out for her and a new series of personally traits to be implemented.

Once all the proper precautions and instruction were put into place and secured, a span of time that might be as long as a year to accomplish, then She was ready to be let lose to completed her task. This one was expected to take her a few years to accomplish, after all it wasnt every day that a hit was ordered on one of the Heavenly Kings. Not to mentions the up coming abduction of a certain chef.

The group of men watched as She left the mansion walking without hesitation towards the train station. If all went well, the first shot would be fired in less then 3 hours.

Komatsu smiled as he talked with one of his regular costumers about his newest creation, a soup of smiling leeks and cream clams, when he spotted a rather worried looking Coco arriving with his usual politeness. Komatsu excused himself from the guest and made his way to see his friend.

'Coco-san? How are you?' the Chef asked and he gently hugged his friend. Coco knelt to his level and returned the hug with a bit more force then he usually did. Komatsu knew something was wrong at that moment, taking a step back he searched the poison man for a hint on the troubles that had brought him to the restaurant. 'Coco-san? What's the matter?' Komatsu asked again.

Coco tried to smile but failed miserably, his usual calmness slipping away as his eyes swept across Komatsu's body, reading the adorable chef's future. 'You're in danger. Get your things and I'll bring you to Toriko's place. Please dont as...' His voice was abruptly cut off by the sound of breaking glass and a deadly silence fell over the restaurant for about a second before everyone started screaming and panicking.

Komatsu felt a coldness overcome him as he watched a small red stain start to expand on Coco's chest. Shot! Coco had just been shot! Komatsu looked around for help, he was much too small to be able to help Coco in anyway beyond basic first aid. Coco slumped unto the floor in front of the chef while the manager and the waiters were trying to reassure everyone and get them safely and calmly out of the restaurant. One of the waiters dropped down by Komatsu's side and turned Coco unto his back. The red stain had grown very large in a short amount of time.

Komatsu watched, frozen by fear and anger, as the waiter pressed a tablecloth across the bleeding wound. The waiter looked at the chef in concern and then in fear as Komatsu slowly passed out in front of his eyes.

Outside a well dressed lady in her early thirties walked down calmly along the streets, ignoring the screams and commotion caused by the people pointing at the Hotel Gourmet. She held in her hand a heavy cloth bag that jingled slightly as she walked. Her eyes were dark brown and emotionless. A huge blue haired man passed beside her as he ran towards the Hotel, his gaze and attention so fixed that he never noticed as she pressed a small black object to his forearm as he passed by. An object that quickly vanished from sight.


	17. Timing

Timing was always important for a chef, doubly so when it involves cooking dangerous or rare ingredient. Still as important as timing was to applying a method of cooking. It was also very important in every day life.

Something that Toriko seemed unable to understand when it came down to it. Komatsu sighed mournfully as he looked down on another ruined cooking project. He was starting to regret giving Toriko a key to his apartment.

Pushing the ruined meal aside to be used in some other way later, Komatsu turned around and stared at Toriko expectantly. ''There's a party organised by IGO tonight, all bishokuya's have to bring their partner's if they have one. I'll come by and pick you up in 3 hours.'' The huge man declared with his usual grin.

Komatsu sighed, and nodded to Toriko. It would be a nice change of pace after weeks of doing nothing as partners. ''Alright, how should I dress?'' Komatsu asked slightly nervous about what would be expected from him, as it always was since the last cooking fest.

Toriko grinned and waltzed over to pat Komatsu on the back in an attempt to calm his partner down a bit. ''Its a formal party so the outfit Coco bought you for Christmas should do fine.'' he replied. The chef smiled and nodded, waving as Toriko left to start his own preparations for the party.

Komatsu grinned at the thought. ''Toriko's preparations for a party... Somehow I think it involves eating a lot and getting dressed at the last possible minute.'' He said out loud with a small laugh as he returned his attention to the food waiting to be used in his cooking.

Several hours later, Komatsu was starting to regret accepting to come to the party. His gaze looked around at the party-turned-disaster with growing dread. Timing. Timing was always so important and apparently Komatsu had either the best or the worst timing ever giving to mankind.

Komatsu had left a few moments earlier to go and get ready for a demonstration of his cooking skills, as always the case when the chef went anywhere for more then an hour, as he had started undressing to put his chef uniform, a startling amount of thumps and bangs were heard from downstairs.

Komatsu had run back to the railing and stared at the ASLEEP bodies of all the guests, even Toriko and Sunny had been somehow taken down. His mouth hung open in shock, as snores were heard.

It was only then that Komatsu noticed something else, or rather someone else who was moving around and apparently stealing jewelry off the guests as they dreamed. The chef sighed, he was the only person still awake if you didnt count the thief.

Komatsu stared at the thief as he tried to think of a good way to deal with this problem when he remembered about the bottles of champagne that were still in the kitchen. Glanced once more to the thief, he hurried into the kitchen and to the fridge.

Komatsu grinned as he stared at the 100 or more bottles just waiting to be used in his hopefully ingenious plan. He grabbed the first box he could lift and half dragged it to the railing, where he had the perfect view of the thief.

Said thief was trying to turn Toriko over in vain hopes to find something of value on the bishokuya. Komatsu grinned and had a hard time stifling his laughter, while he carefully shook each bottle of champagne and put it in place. Toriko simply would have to forgive the bruises once he woke up.

Each bottle had its own timing and Komatsu wanted them to go off all at the same time. When they did, Komatsu heard the frightened yell of the burglar soon followed by painful ones as the intruder dropped his bag and the loot before running off without a single glance back.

Komatsu couldnt contains himself anymore, he laughed and laughed and laughed only stopping for a moment when Zebra showed up and stared at the out-of-breath cook in shock before continuing his laughter.

Timing was the most important thing to a cook and Komatsu had the best of it all.


	18. Lost

Komatsu wasnt sure how he ended up in this situation. The situation being blindfolded, tied up and with a rather painful headache that only got worse as the people around him screamed at each other. Of course, the words used gave the small man any hint as to whom had done this or any detail on his location. Not even the slightest hint of an accent!

The captured chef resisted the urge to growl his annoyance at his situation. The last thing he could remember was walking into his home and turning to lock the door then nothing until he woke up... about 25 minutes ago. The memories did nothing to help him solve his current problem, which was to find some way to slip out of the ropes binding him.

Who ever had been charged of tying him up had done a very good job, almost too well considering the world only knew him as a cook who had partnered up with the famous heavenly king Toriko. The type of rope, the way it was tied and the knots used were overkill when used on an unarmed and inexperienced cook.

Unless... It couldnt be! Did they know his past? The questions, the uneasiness of those simple facts passed through him quickly before fading away into quiet determination. It didnt matter, not right now, he could deal with any consequence after he had returned home.

Komatsu stopped thinking and allowed his old senses to wake up. _Never again! I wont do it! Nee-san... Please I... I can't... For her...Anything._ Slowly, the ex-assassin shut down everything that would hinder his ability to gain his freedom. Kindness was locked in a steel box. Hesitation was shoved into the darkness hole in the end of the conscious mind. Love, hatred, fear and all emotions other then determination were thrown down an empty well in his memories.

The chef Komatsu faded into darkness as it whispered Finally.


	19. Self Banishement

The assassin worked quickly to break free of the ropes keeping him from his prey. By the time the foolish morons who had kidnapped him knew of his liberty it was far too late...

The first of the men died in silent dread as he desperately tried to stop the blood from follow through his open neck. The second didnt have time to turn towards his dying companion before clutching at the blade sticking out of his ear. The third had his hand moving toward his gun when a well aimed punch sent bones into the man's brain. The fourth and fifth had their gun out and pointed toward the assassin before their faces were filled with gum-glue soda, preventing them from seeing and breathing anything.

The expert assassin moved towards the nearest window which wasnt very far, looked outside and swore. He was on a plane of some kind and high enough that there was no way he could survive a unplanned jump. The blood covered man looked around, there was at least 2 more kidnappers but they were locked up in the cockpit and no threat to him.

He found a parachute and quickly used it to leave the plane, not before rigging a few explosive to ensure his complete revenge. It wouldnt do to leave a job unfinished after all. The assassin landed with little problem in the middle of the seemingly never ending jungle below him. He had no idea where he was nor did he care. For the first time in years, almost a decade, he was free to do as he wanted and thats exactly what he intended to do.

It was time to remind the underworld of his existence and skill. Even if it took him months to get out of the jungle, the gourmet criminals would remember his existence and his name 'Hunter'.


	20. Family

Komatsu had known Rin and Sunny for years and had seen the fight many times before. This night was slightly different as Komatsu opened the door on a crying, trembling younger sibling standing soaking wet on his apartment door step.

''Rin? Come in!'' Komatsu took one of her arms and gently steered her into his house, disregarding the wet tracks she left on his floor. The chef didnt ask her anything, simply brought her to his bathroom and left her alone to dry up and get cleaned. He didnt have any women's clothes to wear but Toriko had forgotten one of his oversized shirts here a few months ago and Rin would be much more comfortable in it.

Once he had found and given the light blue shirt to his silent guest, the small chef returned to his kitchen to do what he does best. Cook. He looked through his ingredients and recipes before settling on one he hadnt made since his apprenticeship at a dessert shop in his school.

First, mix sweet flour, sunwheat and phantom yeast into a mixing bowl. Add rosy water from the food honor temple until the the mixture is thin and starts bubbling. Leave the bowl to rest for half an hour, start to prepare the second layer by repeating the steps and using honey water instead of the rosy water. Repeat 7 times using the following waters: calm sea water from the southern candy lake shores; water from the love-love volcano; sweet wine spring; Zen master's tears; water from the health spring of Life; firework red of flamme and ice wine water.

Once that was done, he prepared the oven and made the icing using juice from the rainbow fruit. By the time his seven layered cake was done, Rin was done and sitting abnormally quietly on the bench in front of the kitchen table. Komatsu looked at her every once in a while, worried about her quietness.

Once the cake was done, Komatsu served Rin and himself, settled himself and waited. As Rin ate piece after piece of the cake, she told Komatsu of her rather horrible day. Sunny had woken up in a horrible mood and turned that mood unto his sister. The bishokuya insulted her weight, her habits and her love for Toriko before destroying a lot of things in the house and leaving in a huff without wishing a happy birthday to his sister.

The rest of her birthday had been just as bad, her favorite shop was closed due to a fire. Her usually shopping mall had been attacked by gourmet mafia while she was shopping. Between being knocked unconscious for most of the day only to wake up a hostage for a group of middle aged idiots, kicking their asses and realizing the whole thing had been on tv all day without anyone even trying to save her or check up on her since then; Rin had spent the last hour in the pouring rain feeling utterly worthless and lost.

Komatsu was shocked, he had been working at the restaurant all day and hadn't heard of the situation happening at the mall. Komatsu tried to apologies for not knowing but Rin reassured him that she knew his work schedule.

The door to his apartment was thrown open rather abruptly and a frantic Sunny barged in panicking and shouting ''MATSU! Have you seen Rin?'' Komatsu looked at the bishokuya and then at Rin. Both of them were looking shocked at each other and for good reason.

Sunny was dirty and his clothes were ruined. He had blood over one of his arms and his left leg was scratched and bruised beyond what Komatsu had seen on previous fights. Sunny's face was just as badly injured with a open cut that would almost certainly leave a scar if he didnt have Teppei look at it soon.

Rin was looking pristine dressed in Toriko's light blue shirt, a few traces of the cake she had nearly completed eaten still on her checks. The two siblings were looking quite opposite what they would normally look. Komatsu smiled as he saw the siblings reunite with an hesitating manner.


	21. Day off

Komatsu didnt get days off. At least not normally but today was different even if the man in question didnt know about it. The four Heavenly Kings had decided to offer their young cook a day off without worries or adventures. It didnt take much for the Hotel to agree to the one day vacation for Komatsu.

The morning started with Coco slipping into Komatsu's apartment and quietly preparing a tasty breakfast version of his full course menu. Chocolate Dew Pancakes, Orange Ham with Hash potatoes and many other dishes all hand cooked by Coco with his regular precision.

Komatsu woke up to the sweet smell of bacon and the sounds of breakfast being made. He shot up and ran towards his kitchen in utter confusion. Had he sleep-cooked again?

Coco watched in amusement as the chef skidded into the kitchen wearing nothing at all. ''Coco?'' asked the chef pointing at the bishokuya in shock. Coco smiled and replied casually, ''Good morning Komatsu-kun. I hope I didnt wake you up. Breakfast should be ready in a few minutes. Why dont you go and take a shower?'' Komatsu nodded mutely and left in an embarrassing shuffle.

Coco contained his laughter until he heard the shower start as to not embarrass the young Chef more then necessary. For such a short man, Komatsu was rather well... gifted. The cooking was more or less done by the time Komatsu had calmed down and gotten properly dressed. The next 2 hours were spent eating together and Coco told wild stories of the heavenly king's youth.

At around 11, a grinning and smartly dressed Sunny arrived to take Matsu out for a nice lunch at Restaurante Del Paysage, a restaurant so high class the waiting list could almost rival the one for Setsuno's restaurant. Komatsu just stared at the bright man then looked at Coco before being dragged away by Sunny with a laugh and wave to the poisonous man currently cleaning his kitchen.

The trip to the restaurant was spent in laughter an joy as Sunny told Komatsu about the pranks he used to pull on Toriko and Rin whenever he could. Komatsu couldnt remember a time he had laughed so much. The two of them arrived at the restaurant and were ushered into a VIP booth and served with a soft champagne while they waited for the rest of the meal.

A full 8 course meal, served by beautiful waiters and carefully arranged to be perfect (for Komatsu not Sunny, after all it was his day); the chef found himself actually relaxing. The feeling was unusual and something Komatsu had felt in quite a while.

As soon as the meal was done and after Komatsu fought to pay for the meal; Sunny forbid it and sent the bill to IGO. Sunny smiled and ushered his friend into a sleek black limousine before waving the small man to his next destination.

Komatsu watched as the limo drove him passed the town and into the nearest forest. Komatsu got off at the edge of a giant iron wood tree and waited. Waited. And waited. He had started to doze off when ''Brat!'' was half yelled into his ear. Jerking up from his slouched position, Komatsu looked around with joy, ''Zebra!'' he exclaimed.

The gigantic man walked out of the forest; his arms filled with nuts, berries of all kinds and the cadaver of a wild sugar boar. Komatsu ran over to hug as much of the man as he could. It had been over 5 months since he had last seen the man. The cook swiftly took over and Komatsu went about doing what he loved more then anything. He cooked everything Zebra had captured to make the best feast he could for his friend.

An hour before sunset, Zebra grabbed the smaller chef and chugged him unto his shoulder causing Komatsu to squeak in surprise and hold on tight to Zebra's head and neck as he tried to balance himself on the bishokuya's massive shoulders.

Zebra then climbed the iron wood tree steadily, keeping a firm hand on Komatsu and making sure the chef didnt slip or slide while he climbed. They pushed past the branches and broke through the canopy of trees just in time to watch the sunset and the rising moon take it place. Komatsu letting go of his hold on Zebra to point at the appearing stars in un concealed joy. Zebra laughing at Komatsu's childish delight.

Once they had climbed back down, Komatsu was dropped into the waiting arm of Toriko before Zebra left without a word. ''Had a nice day?'' Asked Toriko as he tightened his hold on a squirming cook and started walking at a fast pace through the forest. Komatsu half glared at his partner before giving up and letting himself relax into Toriko's arms. ''Yes it was wonderful. Coco is a good cook, Sunny told me about himself and Zebra showed me the stars. Its the best day I've had in ages! The most relaxing in any case.''

Toriko grinned, ''Good that just leave one last thing for us to do!'' With those words, Toriko took a flying leap and dragged a fully dressed Komatsu into the cold and clear water of the lake in front of them. The lake was of high density water, which meant that Komatsu didnt need to swim to float in this lake. Once the chef realized that, he glared at Toriko's laughing face and promptly splashed him.

Their water fight lasted well into the night, both of them stopping to rest for a few minutes before splashing the other again. The laughter filled the calm night as the moon shone on their games and at the edge of the forest; 3 men stood with wide grins on their faces.

Coco smirked, ''I think Toriko had enough time alone. Shall we go join them?'' A nod and a grunt later, the group disappeared into the forest.


	22. Expectations

Komatsu worked tirelessly over the 'crêpe Marie' that had been asked by the teachers as part of their evaluations. He mixed the flour and yeast before dropping a few drops of water into the mix. Not too much, be careful. You only want enough to be able to mix the flour into paste, no more!

A hard learnt lesson giving to him by a rather ruthless teacher. Once he had just enough water, he hesitated as to what he should add to the Crêpe mix now. A small voice inside him clamored to add Soy milk and raspberry nuts but it was almost instantly crushed by a roaring voice admonishing Komatsu for thinking about using something the client had not asked for.

' You are training to be a chef! Thats means shutting up and doing what the client wants and only that! Dont add things that are unnecessary! Dont experiment with the recipes giving to you! You are there to cook and nothing more!'

Komatsu closed his eyes, feeling his heart going wild as he remembered the owner of the fearsome voice. His least favorite teacher, one that insisted on following recipes to the letter and would fail you if you did anything else.

Reopening his eyes, the young would-be-chef reached and grabbed the silk honey that the recipe called for and added it to the creamy paste. He mixed it exactly 4 times clockwise and 7 counterclockwise, just as specified by the teacher and his recipe. As he carefully dripped the now finished Crêpe mix into the warm not hot pan, he lifted his eyes nervously towards the watching teachers.

Komatsu was one of the first ones to finish and while the teacher that tasted his desert praised the taste as being exactly what was expected from the recipe, he himself felt worthless. After all, anyone could learn to follow a recipe. Komatsu clenched his hands as he walked out of the examination room and towards his room, unaware of everything except his own failure.

The young man dropped unto his bed, his mind going over and over his exams. He might have gotten a passing note but he still felt unaccomplished and was school and it was supposed to teach him how to survive in a real restaurant, in a world where innovations was everything and yet he found himself pushed into a mold and forced to be something he found repulsive.

As the future chef drifted to sleep with tears in his eyes, he hoped for strength to withstand the last few weeks of testing for his scholarship admission to the prestigious school of Nakaume Gourmet School.


	23. Beginning

The Chef of the Gourmet Hotel, Komatsu waited anxiously to meet a very unique and scary client. The infamous heavingly king Zebra had decided that the young chef would be cooking his new-found ingredient.

Komatsu couldnt understand how such a gigantic man would have heard of him and why out of all the chef he would choose a young chef of a simple 5 star hotel. Zebra's arrival was announced by a crowd of fleeing customers of the surrounding restaurants and bar, all of them terrified as the scarred man came up to the restaurant.

The chef had to crank his neck back completely to be able to look at his clients in the eyes, even if he was terrified it didnt mean he could be impolite to a costumer. Zebrsa didnt say a word and simply handed the small man a heavy bag of the ingredient.

Komatsu swallowed and tottered out of the main room and into his kitchen to cook. The manager quickly motioned the staff to bring out food and drinks to the scowling man while the bishokuya waited for Komatsu to finish cooking.

The ingredient given to him by Zebra were small egg like objects of a light pink color with dark red spots creating different patterns. Komatsu lifted a handful to his work lamps and smiled at the beauty of this new ingredient.

Regardless of the man who had brought them to him, the chef was feeling grateful to be able to cook such a beautiful and fun ingredient. He quickly brought a big pot of water to boil before dropping a quarter of the eggs into it and moving on to using the others parts.

About an hour later, Komatsu pushed a cart almost as big as himself into the main room of the now ruined restaurant (some of the staff had gotten cocky) and grinned at the professional ingredient hunter. He set the first plate in front of his client and removed the cover.

A curtain of pink pasty vinaigrette spread across the best lettuce Komatsu had found with fresh fruits served with a side of a newest sweet sauce he had thought up on the spot. Komatsu waited as Zebra took his first bite of the food platter.

Half an hour later, Zebra had finished eating everything Komatsu put in front of him and turned toward the nervous chef. ''Brat. Form a combo with me.''


	24. New

There was a lot of new things appearing everyday in the Gourmet World. Komatsu looked at each one with the same mix of fear, awe and curiosity that surprised his companions.

To Toriko, each new things was food or enemy or sometimes both. He couldn't understand how Komatsu could be so scared of everything that showed up every single time! Day after day, week after week; Komatsu's reaction was always the same and yet utterly different for each new thing.

To Sunny, each new things was either hideous or beautiful though most of the things showing up where of the former rather than the latter. The long haired man couldn't see why Komatsu would even consider some of those creatures interested or worthy of being cooked by his hands. Day after day, week after week; Komatsu's reactions were beautiful and yet hideous.

To Coco, every new being was a threat or harmless to the group. The poison user was mostly amused by Komatsu's reactions but remained puzzled about why the chef would ignore the obvious threat of a creature yet run at the sound of a harmless growl. Day after day, week after week; Komatsu's reaction were a puzzle and yet logical.

To Zebra, each new thing appearing before him was cocky and would be crushed or cooked. The giant looked down on the smallest boy and wondering why Komatsu would be worried about the smallest of details but remain oblivious to the bigger things. Day after day, week after week; Komatsu's reaction were amusing and yet ridiculous.


	25. Paths

Life was a series of continuing events that shaped a person or persons into what they latter became. A chance meeting between 2 person could lead to everlasting love or a dead body.

Komatsu had several events that could have gone both way and more. His first meeting with Toriko could have been just a job and Komatsu would have returned to the restaurant, working diligently until the spice meteor shower killed him.

Komatsu could have died in the tunnels leading to the puffer whale beach which would have caused Toriko to go the the gourmet world much too early and dying there without anyone to help him survive. The Bishokuya's would have captured almost all of the ranking chefs within months and both Sunny and Coco would have died trying to protect the humans from the rampaging Nitro's.

Of course, Komatsu could have meet Sunny first and joined him as a partner but the road would have lead to disappointment and pain for everyone as Sunny unknowingly restricted Komatsu's cooking skills to 'beautiful' ingredients.

The chef could have gone to meet the fortune teller Coco and gone with him into the puffer whale caves but Coco would have died trying to save Komatsu from the Devil Snake. Komatsu would survive the caves but lose his will to cook for several years, blaming himself for the kind man's death.

In many dimensions, Komatsu becomes Zebra's partner in a rather unusual way. He's sent by IGO to go bring some supplies to the prison and end up lecturing Zebra over eavesdropping on privates conversations. The partnership goes well until the Cooking Fest at that point it rejoins so many others in the complete destruction of the Human World and its following troubles.

The only dimensions where Komatsu survives to become old are those where either he meets Toriko or where the Bishokukai's dont exists. All others lead to pain, suffering and the complete destruction of the world as human knew it.

The young chef had no idea how much the world and its inhabitants depended on the small man and his unbelievable skills.


	26. Babies

Komatsu had become used to a lot of things over the years while traveling with the Heavenly King but he had to admit; being woken up by a panicked Rin and Melk 2 both carrying 2 small children was not one of them.

Rin and Melk walked into his apartment in a panicked state, neither women knowing how to take care of small children especially when those children where the 4 Heavenly King at age 3.

Komatsu stared at the girls as they tried to explain what had happened. It took a while to get the pictures but apparently the 4 grown man had decided to go hunt an ingredient together for Komatsu's birthday but somehow ended up in front of Rin's apartment.

Melk had been the one to hear the sobbing of a small child and found the 4 toddlers. She had also been the one to suggest bringing them to Komatsu. It seemed like a good idea at the time.

Komatsu sighed, looked at the foursome of children snuggling on a blanket in his living room and made a decision. ''Rin can you go and buy me a few things?'' the chef quickly wrote down a list of ingredients and objects he would need to take care of the toddlers until a more permanent solution was found.

Rin nodded and left quickly leaving Melk with Komatsu. The chef smiled at the slightly panicking knife maker, ''Melk-san could you keep and eye on them, I'll start making some food.'' asked Komatsu gently. Melk nodded, biting her lips.

Komatsu smiled at the young lady and headed for the kitchen while keeping an eye on the living room. As he cooked a quick age appropriate meal, he glanced over at the living room. Toddler Sunny was sprawled across Coco's back. Coco was smuggled into a small ball with his back pressed against Toriko's massive back. Zebra was underneath the pile, as sprawled out as Sunny but in a more feral way.

Melk in the other hand was wondering how Komatsu-kun could be so calm in such a situation. ''Komatsu-kun, have you ever taken care of children before?'' She asked the man. Komatsu looked up from his cooking to reply, ''Yes I worked as a babysitter as a summer job to help pay for school.''

Rin came back with some ingredient he needed for his meal and some clothes for the mostly naked toddlers that were slowly waking up. Between the 3 remaining adults, getting the toddlers dressed and eating wasnt very hard. Even as children, the heavenly kings loved eating.

Among the objects Komatsu had asked Rin to buy was a new camera, which the chef used to take pictures of the Heavenly Kings as toddlers. It would make for a good memories once they found a way to reverse the aging process. It wouldnt do to leave them like this, no matter how cute they might be.


	27. Hunted

The Gourmet Criminals were under attack. A few weeks after the famous chef Komatsu's disappearance, a new group emerged from nowhere and brutally attacked the gourmet yakuza of Nerg city.

The group called themselves Obsidian and the Boss was known as Hunter. No one had actually seen this Boss but he didn't hesitate to make himself known. At this point, almost a year after the first appearance of the group, Hunter had been accredited 35 confirmed hits.

Nerg City was completely under their control and crime was worse then ever. The group were involved in everything from smuggling poisonous food to trafficking cooks to the highest bidder. Their HQ was an newly renovated Casino in the very center of town.

The casino was over 100 stories high above ground and no one knew exactly how many floors underground. You could walk in and find anything you could ever desire and more then a few things you didn't even know you wanted until you saw it.

Obsidian was now the second biggest organisation as they assimilated all competition. They were second only to the IGO. Their size and power made them invulnerable to everyone who would think to harm them. There was no threat in existence that could stand up to the Obsidian except for one.

In the lower levels of the Obsidian Casino, in one of the many soundproof rooms filled with chains and blood spatter. In this room was the only remaining threat to Hunter, a threat he keep contained and isolated except for occasional visits whenever he his 'other' self stir up.

Hunter grinned as he pushed the heavy oak door and entered the room, Komatsu's presence fluttering at the edge of his consciousness like the buzz of strong alcohol on an empty stomach. Chained to the wall straight in front of the door was Match, the ex-Chief of the Nerg Gourmet Yakuza.

Blood flowed freely from numerous cuts marring his naked body. Each cut copied pre-existing scars. Match was gasping in pain, it took all of his strength to raise his head and glare at Hunter as the man walked in.

Hunter grinned in amusement, even after so long and everything he had done to his prisoner, the chained man still was as stubborn. The boss of Obsidian walked up to his toy and punched Match in the face. The blow caused him to hit his head on the wall, dazing him from the pain and choc and allowing Hunter to get a good grip on the bloody blond hair.

''I have something to show you.'' crackled the Komatsu look alike. ''A group of my men attacked a small village and captured quite a few new toys for me to enjoy. One of them is someone you already know.'' Hunter tightened his grip on Match's hair watching him wince in barely concealed pain.

Two burly men walked in dragging a struggling and bound body into the room, throwing said person onto the floor and walking out, leaving their boss alone with his toys.

Takimaru struggled to get up with his hands bound behind his back. His face showed several bruises and his right arm had a rough blood soaked bandage about midway up. The knight's expression changed from anger to confusion to outrage and fear as he finally laid his eyes on the mythical Hunter and the presumed dead Match.

''Komatsu-kun?'' the new prisoner asked in completely disbelief at the sight of the gentle and kind chef beside a blood soaked yakuza. Hunter's expression fell and turned cold, leaving a deeply uncomfortable silence broken only by the rough panting of injured men.

The assassin let go of his old toy and slowly walked pass the new one his men had so thoughtfully given him. He stopped in front of a table, his hand running lightly over the different blades stored there. Each blade was different and covered in dried blood. After a few moments, he choose a blunt edged blade about 3 inches long and 1 inch thick.

Angry at the continued presence of Komatsu in his mind and that of the man in front of him, Hunter reacted violently. His hand slammed down Takimaru's head unto the floor before his head was tilted painfully backwards, leaving his throat exposed.

Takimaru bit his lip and struggled to keep a neutral expression as the man who was not Komatsu ran a knife lightly across the skin of his throat, muttering to himself and not paying much attention to reality. Or so he thought, what happened next took both sane men by surprised as Hunter took his blade and drove it into Takimaru's cursed eye.

The scream was torn brutally from Takimaru's mouth as Hunter twisted the blade in the eye socket, separating the eye from its meat casing. The alter ego then carefully withdrew the undamaged eye, admired it for a few moments and left the room without a single glance back.

The screams and whimpers faded from Hunter's mind the moment the door closed behind him, HE was barely aware of the doctor who slipped passed him into the room in order to ensure his Boss' toys didnt die without his say so. Hunter simply walked to his room and prepare a special container in which to keep his latest trophy.

Once it was in place, the insane Boss of Obsidian stood back and looked at his trophy with unrestrained happiness. Komatsu was gone and would be for a good while, he had a cursed eye to join the rest of his collection and a new toy to play with. His eyes finally came to rest on his favorite trophy, there hanging in its fluid filled container was a tall and skinny man with multicolored hair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for those who were shocked by this chapter but what did you expect from Komatsu's alter ego. So fair warning any future chapter concerning Hunter will most likely be gory and/or painfully sad. Read at your own risk.


	28. Maze

Komatsu pushed the heavy oak door that lead to the beginning of the maze, one he had been trying to solve for the last year or so. The chef bit his lip slightly, forcing himself to walk out the room and start his search for the exit.

The room he had been in was alone in the middle of a large circle from which 7 different corridors spread out. Komatsu had taken all of them at one point or another but they always changed.

Today he picked the passage that was straight ahead of the door and walked carefully through the massive hall. Komatsu tried his best to ignore the side passages and the flashes of colors that came with it. When the screaming started, Komatsu smashed his hands over his ears, desperate to hide from the memories that filtered from Hunter's mind.

Images of Sunny trying to fight but unable to bring himself to hurt Komatsu's body. Match begging Hunter to leave his subordinates alone. Red blood smeared across the body of a young woman. Every time he tried to escape the maze, to take back his body, Hunter would do something to force him back. Kill, torture or destroy something just to hurt Komatsu and force him back.

Every time the chef tried to escape, Hunter's reaction grew worse seeing as Komatsu got closer and closer to what he believed was the way out of Hunter's maze. This time, Hunter reacted quickly and went to see Match once more. Hunter's favorite toy to shut Komatsu up.

Komatsu couldn't stop the images from showing on the walls nor the screams from filling his ears. Match's defiance was one of the things that kept Komatsu going even after a year of being stuck in his own mind, in a maze created by an alter ego who had so often saved his life in the past.

When Takimaru was thrown into the room, Komatsu stopped in shock. When Hunter choose the blunt blade, Komatsu screamed at Hunter to stop. His legs collapsed as Hunter dragged the blade across his friend's throat. Hunter's voice boomed across the maze, ''This is all because of you, Komatsu. If you dont stop trying to escape, I will sell them to sadists one hour at a time and I'll make you watch it.''

Komatsu forced himself of the floor, one thought overcoming his mind. He had to protect his friends! The maze floor collapsed under him as Takimaru's scream resounded endlessly and the sight of the cursed eye staring back at him through Hunter's eyes was too much.

Komatsu fell through the floor into endless darkness. The screams of Hunter's victims tormenting him as he fell unto the cold hard marble floor of the inner room which was his prison. Komatsu's eyes were blank as he stayed still and motionless on the white marble floor.


	29. Sunny

The lake was calm and peaceful in the midday sun. A soft breeze moved the nearby trees and caused a few ripples on the surface of the lake but nothing else moved. The occasional gourmet beast wandered around the area without fear even as natural enemies passed by each other.

The lake's water were a unusual substance that would normally qualify as a poison in IGO's book except that its only effect was the complete inhibition of aggressiveness in those who drank it. Its property made it ideal to use as a drink in peace talks and other opportunities where aggressiveness was not the best idea.

Komatsu smiled drowsily as he sipped the sweet water directly from the lake, enjoy the silence that surrounded him. He was here alone for once with no Toriko to guard him, no Sunny to marvel at the beauty of the natural life around the lake. Coco was nowhere to be found even if Komatsu thought the poison user could you some time to relax since he never allowed himself any.

As for Zebra, the giant man could go swim in a lake of acid after his last stunt. Komatsu grinned, giggled and started laughed as he thought about His Heavenly Kings. The chef was more then aware of the more then friendly attention the four men seem to lavish on him.

He knew it, loved it and was more then a bit amused by it as well. Komatsu shook his head as he remembered the discussion he had overheard. The four childhood friends had gotten accidentally drunk out of their minds in the neighboring forest. Even Coco had somehow been affected by the alcohol present in the seemingly normal water.

Their drunkenness had lead to Toriko bragging about his closeness to Komatsu which had in turn cause Sunny to brag about always being able to touch Komatsu as much as he wanted in a way no one else could. Coco had gotten mad at Sunny for it and declared how easy it would be for him to slip the chef an aphrodisiac and make said man beg for sex. Zebra had growled that fact that out of all of them he was the one who had the most intimate relationship with Komatsu especially since the chef was so cocky all the time.

Unknown to the foursome, Komatsu had come back from washing up in the river and overheard the conversation. Instead of showing himself, the chef had been angry enough at the idiocy of the group to walk away without a single look backwards. The area was safe enough and regardless of their condition, it wouldnt take much more then a shout from Komatsu to get all four of them to come help him.

As it was, Komatsu was sunbathing and waiting for what would no doubt be a very amusing time of watching the Heavenly Kings panic and try to find him while having a horrible hangover. When it did happen, Komatsu had to stuff his fist into his mouth to prevent Zebra from hearing his howling laughter at the sight and sound of four gigantic men looking for a very small chef.


	30. Insanity

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is a songfic. The song is Insanity by Vocaloid

The first time Komatsu meet Hunter was also the first time he killed someone. A bloody knife in one hand and the motionless body at his feet, the child looked into a mirror for the first time and saw him. The Hunter he had become who smiled in delight at the smell of blood and the screams of pain.

_Hello myself, Haven't we meet before?_

_Goodbye, yourself So want to talk?_

The second time was a week later, the child had just gotten back from stealing some food for his sister only to hear a scream from their broken house. Komatsu didnt remember anything other then waking up with his sister crying beside him and a shadow whispering in glee. The bodies of six half dressed men were cut into pieces and thrown around the house.

_The discovered conclusion, disappearing_

_Outlines fading to black,_

_In the darkness, there is no such thing as light_

_From inside of madness, Goodbye_

Since then The Hunter would be there, on the edge of his mind. Showing himself in glimpses caught on mirrors and windows, leaving Komatsu covered in blood but rich. He welcomed the insanity in order to help his sister live the way she should. Until the accident...

_Hey, haven't we met somewhere in the past?_

_Hey, you're special to me, I want to talk to you_

_Hey, what time is it? What's today? I don't know_

_Hey! It would be great if we completely forgot_

And he did forget, the blood soaked child of the slums threw away his life and became Komatsu, a chef among many but destined for much more. He made friends, created food and found himself the partner of a man who meant a lot to the chef both as a partner and a friend. The Hunter within him was held back by the friendship, trapped within the fragile sanity that held Komatsu together.

_Insanity_

_Like floating on air_

_Psychopathy_

_a care free life_

Until the foolish gourmet criminals decided to be greedy. Until they decided that going after the fortune teller and gentleman of the heavenly kings would be the best way to earn money and fame. Until they blackmailed Komatsu and awakened The Hunter from its fragile prison.

_Dark? Light?_

_Insanity_

Komatsu didnt even realize how fragile his sanity had become until the gourmet criminals had targeted him. It hadnt taken much for The Hunter to wake up and take over once more.

_Sanity?_

_Cant see the dark already_

_Purity?_

_The days are longer_

_Sanity?_

_But that must also sink_

_Sanity?_

_What is that?_

The maze that kept Komatsu helpless within his own mind was mirrored at times, showing the captive chef his own bloody reflection.

_An Illusion that cannot end,_

_Captivity_

_Unable to run away_

_Insanity_

_Like the corruption is continuing_


	31. Precious

Toriko, Coco, Sunny and Zebra had rarely spent so much time together since their training days in the biotopes under IGO's president but since Komatsu's arrival in their life it had been common to see any of them or all of them at the Gourmet Hotel.

Komatsu was always happy to see them regardless of the reason for their usually unexpected arrival. In the beginning, the Heavenly Kings tried to gives excuses for seeing the Chef but it soon became obvious to the foursome that such things were not necessary for Komatsu.

As for Komatsu, he was always happy to see his friends drop by and take the time out of their busy schedule to see him. Some time, the chef would take a look at his guest and drop everything to make them something special. Other times, he would simply offer a seat away from prying eyes and the soup of the day (made by him of course).

Zebra was the least likely to drop by but also the one who was more likely to send a gift to the chef out of nowhere. Komatsu had to this day received 10027 eatable flowers ranging from wild chocolate roses to the rare dew drop carmellia; 1673 eatable clothes (Komatsu hasnt worn any of them yet) and over 593 different cooking related utensil or books.

Coco was the second least likely to show up unannounced but did call Komatsu on regular base to check up on him. Komatsu had noticed early on that Coco would arrived at the very end of a day if he ever did and had given instruction to the serving staff to bring Coco to one of the deluxe VIP rooms should he show up.

Sunny showed up every 2 weeks like clock work unless Komatsu ( and by extension Toriko) were away or if Sunny himself was busy looking for a new ingredient. Komatsu had thus created a day every 2 weeks dedicated to beautiful harmony in the restaurant. The menu, the music and the decors were all specially arranged for the occasion.

Toriko came up more often then anyone to see Komatsu at work but rarely was he predictable. It didnt bother the chef nor his restaurant since Toriko always ate a lot and paid for everything with a huge tip for everyone working at the restaurant (minus Komatsu who refused such things). Toriko's presence was a fun and joyous occasion even if it meant a lot of hard work for the staff working that day.

The four Heavenly Kings shared a similar thoughts concerning their favorite chef. For one, Komatsu was absolutely clueless about everything that wasn't spelt out for him. Two, no one was allowed to bad mouth or hurt the chef in anyway. Lastly, Komatsu was precious and could never be replaced.

They were wrong. Komatsu was far from clueless, he enjoyed the verbal sparring that occurred in every restaurant kitchen out of ear reach and he was only human, doomed to grow old far faster then any of the Bishokuyas. That was why he indulged the Kings in anything they desired while he still could.

When Zebra showed up, Komatsu made sure that the noise level in the restaurant were at a minimum and always displayed any gift that Zebra sent him (except for the clothes because most of it was for private times).

Whenever Coco showed up, it was always for 2 reasons in Komatsu's mind. One, Coco had a bad day and needed some place to rest without any fear or judgement. Two, the gentleman had a nightmare involving Komatsu (the small chef could clearly see shadows underneath Coco's eyes) and had spent the day making sure his fear never happened. Komatsu knew he had done a good job as a chef, a host and a friend when Coco's body relaxed completely. If he was lucky, Coco would even fall asleep in the VIP room.

Sunny came for several reasons, the first few times was to have Komatsu make something beautiful for him. After Komatsu started the specialty day, Sunny came to enjoy the atmosphere of beauty and serenity that seemed to grow within the restaurant walls. Once in a while, Komatsu could see that Sunny needed something extra to cheer him up (it wasnt easy to see, Sunny was very private about himself but Komatsu could see the lack of bounce in his step or the make up on a half healed injury marring his otherwise perfect skin) and would decide to bring a kitchen table in the restaurant and take request for meal to be prepared in front of the customers eyes.

Toriko would show up so often that Komatsu could determine what he should do just from the sound of his greeting when the muscular man entered the restaurant. If he sounded happy, then Toriko would eat off the menu. If he sounded tired but joyous then Komatsu would make a special dessert to help Toriko rest properly. If he sounded strained, Komatsu would leave the kitchen to go meet his partner and decided what he would make for Toriko's menu.

To Komatsu, all four Bishokuya's were precious and he wouldnt hesitated to stand between them and an enemy if it was needed. After all, he was merely human while the four Kings were not.


	32. Sacrifice

The gourmet world was dangerous, that much anyone with half a brain could tell, what most people didnt understand was just how dangerous the place truly was.

For one, the beast that lived there were at least 30 times stronger then anything seen in the human world. Even more then that was the beats ability to evolve and get stronger when faced with strong opponents.

But that overbearing strength came with one weakness which fitted Komatsu to well to be coincidence. Toriko had called it food luck while the 2 of them survived the gourmet world and now it was happening again.

Komatsu stared frozen in fear and dread as the huge horse king approached him with curiosity, here in the gourmet world weak being didnt survive long and so that made the small chef into a curiosity for the stronger monsters.

The horse's head bent down to sniff at the man then licked him. Komatsu grimaced at the feeling of being covered by horse drool and scent. A few feet away from Komatsu, stood Mappy looking absolutely confused once more.

Toriko grinned as he looked between Komatsu and Mappy, '' I guess we dont need a sacrifice after all! Lets go Komatsu! To find Air!''


End file.
